A recent study evaluating real-world data from the United States highlights the economic and clinical benefits of switching from once-daily liraglutide to once-weekly semaglutide in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The findings published in Diabetes Therapy reveal that transitioning to semaglutide results in significantly lower healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and overall medical costs compared to patients who discontinued liraglutide without initiating another glucose-lowering medication.

Researchers conducted an observational cohort study using data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Database between January 2017 and March 2021. The study compared two patient groups: those who stopped liraglutide therapy altogether (“discontinuers”) and those who switched to semaglutide (“switchers”). After applying statistical weighting to balance baseline characteristics, outcomes were assessed over a 360-day follow-up period.

The switcher group demonstrated a clear advantage in multiple healthcare settings. Hospitalization and emergency department (ED) visits were significantly reduced. On average, total medical costs were 37% lower in the switchers group ($8,513) than in the discontinuers group ($13,585). In particular, inpatient costs were 2.6 times lower, and ED-related expenses were 1.6 times lower among switchers.